Today’s team review is from Sandra.
Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews
Sandra has been reading The Old Son by Richard Arterton.
I started reading The Old Sun without knowing much about it and had not heard of the author before. It is an unusual book with many narrative strands. To begin with, I found it a bit confusing but eventually it all started to make sense.
Septuagenarian Jack Kogia, not in good health and near the end of his life, reflects on the bad decisions he made in the past and seeks atonement. He meets Will Pearce in his local pub, The Old Sun, and they become friends of sorts. This is the central narrative which is interspersed with flashbacks to Jack’s life as an engineer in South African diamond mines when Apartheid was at its height, and Will’s as an English teacher at a further education college and the effect of his alcoholism on his failing marriage. There are also excerpts from Jack’s father’s diary written during his time in the RAF before and during WW2.
Jack asks Will to drive him to visit his brother Teddy, who he hopes will give him details of the whereabouts of his daughter Heather who he has lost touch with. His attempts at a reconciliation do not go well. His final request is for Will to accompany him to South Africa so that he can be reunited with his other daughter, Charlotte. Jack and Will are very different characters, but are united by the pain of being estranged from their daughters. The narrative shifts about from one section to another and what really took place only slowly comes to light. There are passages of lyrical writing especially when he is describing the natural world. The characters are vividly drawn, warts and all, and he is not afraid to tackle sensitive subject matter. Jack is running out of time, but there is still hope that Will could get help and turn his life around. This is not an easy read but worth the effort, and I look forward to reading this author’s next book.
Book Description:
How much are we willing to endure in the name of forgiveness?
Set against the backdrop of World War II, the apartheid era in South Africa, and pre-Brexit Britain, The Old Sun delves into profound questions at the core of the human experience.
Jack Kogia, a septuagenarian and lifelong rogue, finds his days numbered. As he reflects on a life of excess, he enlists a former teacher, Pearce, to help him seek atonement with his estranged family.
What ensues is a journey of indulgence and adventure, culminating in a profound exploration of forgiveness and the far-reaching consequences of addiction.
